This invention relates to a system for heating water and to a method of operating the system.
In a conventional geyser cold water is used to expel warm water which is drawn by a user from the geyser. The direct contact between the warm and cold water in the geyser has a cooling effect on the warm water in that heat is easily transferable from the warm water to the cold water. It is therefore seldom possible to draw from the geyser the full volume of warm water initially contained in the geyser.
As warm water is drawn from the geyser, a pipe connecting the geyser to a remote discharge point, for example a tap, is filled with warm water. Once the tap is closed so that the discharging of warm water from the geyser is stopped, the pipe remains filled with warm water until this warm water has cooled off. The heat energy contained in the warm water in the pipe is therefore wasted.
This invention attempts to address at least partly the aforementioned problems.